I know a lot of veterans get angry that a majority civilians look at Memorial Day as just a 3-Day weekend full of barbeques, drinking, and beach parties. I however, am not one of them. I see it differently however, a lot of people haven't been enlightened on the true meaning of this day. When I was a kid growing up, Memorial Day was just a 3-day weekend to me. I had no idea what the real meaning of the day was, other than my grandfather (USMC Carlson Raider James J. Wilkes, Jr., 2EDGHQ, WWII Veteran) who died when I was 7, my family had no real affiliation with the military. My grandfather never spoke of his service and what little I know came from other family members. Surprisingly, I wasn't taught anything about what Memorial Day meant in school. I'm not sure my father even really understood what it mean either. So when I see civilians speaking of family time and barbeques I don't get angry. If it hasn't personally affected them and they know nothing of the military, how can they possibly understand what it truly means.
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The Real Meaning of Memorial Day
So for the readers that haven't been educated on the true meaning of Memorial Day, I have a little synopsis to educate you. Memorial Day, originally called Decoration Day, is a day of remembrance for those who have died in service of the United States of America. Memorial Day was borne out of the Civil War and a desire to honor our dead. It was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, in his General Order No. 11. “The 30th of May, 1868, is designated for the purpose of strewing with flowers, or otherwise decorating the graves of comrades who died in defense of their country during the late rebellion, and whose bodies now lie in almost every city, village and hamlet churchyard in the land,” he proclaimed. The date of Decoration Day, as he called it, was chosen because it wasn’t the anniversary of any particular battle. On the first Decoration Day, General James Garfield made a speech at Arlington National Cemetery, and 5,000 participants decorated the graves of the 20,000 Union and Confederate soldiers buried there.
Remembering My Brothers
This Memorial Day I will be remembering my brothers who were KIA in Diyala Province during my first tour in Iraq. Many of them I worked with at some point, and some I spent more time with on extended missions. I've listed their names below and if you notice, the youngest was just 19 years old and the oldest was 44. These men were fearless, they kicked in doors, took down insurgents, and sometimes worked days at a time without rest or sleep. They worked everyday, including Christmas, Thanksgiving, and New Years, in all conditions (rain, cold, and extreme heat (think of 125 degrees and up). They often spent weeks without talking to their families and rarely ate hot a meal because they left on missions when it was dark and returned long after the DFAC closed.
I Will Never Forget
Three of the soldiers on this list died just days before they were to go home. Their families were receiving their personal belongings that they'd shipped home, after being notified of their deaths. They were all under the age of 25. I remember sitting in the backseat of the humvee for half the night listening to them talk about all the things they were going to do when they got home, and I envied them. Days later they were gone forever.
Another of the soldiers was the same age that I was at the time, and had a wife and two children. He was killed on his son's 1st birthday. Every year on every holiday, particularly Memorial Day and Veteran's Day, I think of these 4 particular soldiers because I spent an extended amount of time with them. I will never forget their sacrifice and I will do my best to make sure that no one else does either. Please take a moment on Memorial Day, May 26, 2014 at 12:01pm EST to go silent and remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for you.
OIF Diyala Province, Iraq KIA October 17, 2006 - February 14, 2007
10/17/06 SSG Ryan E. Haupt 24 1BN, 68AR, 3HBCT, 4ID
10/17/06 SGT Norman R. Taylor III 21 1BN, 68AR, 3HBCT, 4ID
10/17/06 SPC Nathan J. Frigo 23 1BN, 68AR, 3HBCT, 4ID
10/18/06 SFC Daniel A. Brozovich 42 1BN, 213 ADA
10/26/06 1SGT Ricky L. McGinnis 42 6SQ, 9CAV, 4BDE, 1CAV
11/15/06 CAPT John R. Dennison 24 5 SQ, 73CAV, 3BCT, 82AAD
11/15/06 SGT Mitchel T. Mutz 23 1BN, 12CAV, 3BCT, 1CAV
11/15/06 SFC Schuyler B. Haynes 40 1BN, 12CAV, 3BCT, 1CAV
11/16/06 CAPT Rhett W. Schiller 26 5SQ, 73CAV, 3BCT, 82AAD
11/25/06 SSG Daniel M. Morris 28 1SQ 12CAV, 3BCT, 1CAV
12/04/06 SGT Jay R. Gauthreaux 26 3HBCT, 1CAV
12/23/06 CPL John Barta 25 1BN, 12CAV, 3BCT, 1CAV
12/31/06 CPL Richard A. Smith 20 215 BSBN, 3HBCT, 1CAV
12/31/06 CPL Jonathan E. Schiller 20 215 BSBN, 3 HBCT, 1CAV
01/09/07 PFC Ryan R. Berg 19 1BN, 12CAV, 3BCT, 1CAV
01/13/07 SGT Gregory A. Wright 28 1 EBN, 1 BCT, 1ID
01/26/07 MAJ Alan R. Johnson 44 402 CABN
01/26/07 PFC Nathan P. Fairlie 21 6SQ, 9CAV, 3BCT, 1CAV
02/04/07 PVT Clarence T. Spencer 24 1BN, 12CAV, 3BCT, 1CAV
02/09/07 SSG Ian W. Shaw 31 1BN, 12CAV, 3BCT, 1CAV
02/09/07 SSG Eric Ross 26 1BN, 12CAV, 3BCT, 1CAV
02/09/07 SPC Leeroy A. Camacho 28 1BN, 12CAV, 3BCT, 1CAV
02/10/07 CAPT Donnie R. Belser Jr. 28 524 MITT, 1ID
02/14/07 SGT John D. Rode 24 1BN, 12CAV, 3BCT, 1CAV
02/14/07 SPC Ronnie G. Madore Jr. 34 1BN, 12CAV, 3BCT, 1CAV
02/14/07 SGT Carl Leonard Seigart 32 1BN, 12CAV, 3BCT, 1CAV
02/14/07 PFC Brenden C. Cummings 20 1BN, 12CAV, 3BCT, 1CAV
Take the pledge to go silent on Memorial Day here: #GOSILENT
